nightline april 30th.

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
ted koppel will read names and show photos of american soldiers killed in iraq since march 19th.



Quote:

(New York-AP) -- It won't be a typical broadcast for Ted Koppel.

__ He'll spend the entire edition of "Nightline" this Friday reading names and showing pictures of U-S servicemembers killed in Iraq.





__ The A-B-C show is only a half-hour long, so it will include only those killed in action since March 19th.

__ Koppel will read their name, military branch, rank and age.

__ The veteran anchor says Memorial Day might have been a more logical day to air the program -- but the network felt the impact would be greater on a day when the nation isn't focused on its war dead.





__ A-B-C News will simulcast the program live on its Jumbotron screen in Times Square.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 55
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Good.



    I think it is perfectly acceptable to nail the reality of war home every once in a while.
  • Reply 2 of 55
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    I might actually tune in for this. I'm glad it's being done.
  • Reply 3 of 55
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    I think this is a nice tribute. But I do agree that it would have had more of an impact on Memorial Day.



    Nick
  • Reply 4 of 55
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Amazing. Every once in a while the news media does something right. I only wish they'd do it since January 1 as it might have a stronger effect without being overdone.
  • Reply 5 of 55
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    pretty sad really, no one at ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC/CNBC/or even FNC wanted to salute the heroisum of these fine men and women untill one of them (ABC) is desperate for a rateings boost as only 5 people watch them any more anyway (Micky, Miny and Donnald being 3 of the 5) and they have a "marquee face" to play on.
  • Reply 6 of 55
    Quote:

    Originally posted by a_greer

    pretty sad really, no one at ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC/CNBC/or even FNC wanted to salute the heroisum of these fine men and women untill one of them (ABC) is desperate for a rateings boost as only 5 people watch them any more anyway (Micky, Miny and Donnald being 3 of the 5) and they have a "marquee face" to play on.



    i think nightline has done this before.
  • Reply 7 of 55
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    Clearly Ted Koppel hates America and appeases terrorists.
  • Reply 8 of 55
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BRussell

    Clearly Ted Koppel hates America and appeases terrorists.



    No, thats John F. Kerry.
  • Reply 9 of 55
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BRussell

    Clearly Ted Koppel hates America and appeases terrorists.



    Don't forget anti-semitic.



  • Reply 10 of 55
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by a_greer

    pretty sad really, no one at ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC/CNBC/or even FNC wanted to salute the heroisum of these fine men and women untill one of them (ABC) is desperate for a rateings boost as only 5 people watch them any more anyway (Micky, Miny and Donnald being 3 of the 5) and they have a "marquee face" to play on.



    Yeah . . .this is definitely a grab for ratings!!







    It will pull everyone away from sit coms and sports etc . . .they'll flock to it . . . especially those who fear that its some sort of political ploy against Bush . . . they'll watch . . and pay attention to the sponsors with rapt attention

    Then they'll probably threaten boycott . . .
  • Reply 11 of 55
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    GUESS WHAT!!!



    It had to happen: freedom of speech at the mercy of the moneyed few:



    "Sinclair bans Nightline war memorial



    According to a White House spokesman: "The president believes we should always remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedoms." Sinclair Broadcast Group has different ideas. The Hunt Valley, Md.-based media company has ordered its eight ABC affiliates not to run tomorrow night's "Nightline," during which host Ted Koppel is scheduled to read off the names off all 700-plus American service men and women killed during the war in Iraq.



    In a prepared statement, Sinclair insists ABC's action, "appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq." And that: "We do not believe such political statements should be disguised as news content." The markets where "Nightline" will be banned are St. Louis, Columbus, Ohio, Asheville, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., Charleston, W.Va., Mobile, Ala., Springfield, Mass., and Tallahassee, Fla.



    "I'm mystified why people think a roll call of the dead is a war protest," says Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism. A spokeswoman for ABC News say none of the network's other affiliates have expressed concern about Friday's program, which has been attacked by conservatives, including Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.



    Sinclair isn't that far removed from the likes of Limbaugh and O'Reilly. According to its website, the company's broadcast groups "include 20 Fox, 19 WB, six UPN, eight ABC, three CBS, four NBC affiliates and two independent stations and reaches approximately 24 percent of all U.S. television households." But the company, and particularly its news division, is known for its conservative tilt. Respected online critic Mark Jefferies of TV Barn, has dubbed Sinclair the "Clear Channel" of local news, and describes Sinclair as having a "fiercely right-wing approach that makes Fox News Channel look like a model of objectivity."



    Sinclair's public news face is Mark Hyman, who hosts "The Point," a Fox News-style daily conservative opinion segment. It offers no counterpoint and is beamed to 61 Sinclair-operated stations across the country which air "The Point" during local newscasts. According to an article last year in Alternet, "Mark Hyman rants against peace activists ("wack-jobs"), the French ("cheese-eating surrender monkeys"), progressives ("loony left") and the so-called liberal media, usually referred to as the "hate-America crowd" or the "Axis of Drivel."



    Hyman is also Vice President of Corporate Communications for Sinclair. He has not yet returned calls seeking comment about Sinclair's decision to ban "Nightline's" memorial broadcast.
  • Reply 12 of 55
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Well, everything in here was fine until you showed up, pfflam.
  • Reply 13 of 55
    giaguaragiaguara Posts: 2,724member
    Good!



    More happenings around 30 april around the world:







    This picture was just in the front page of La Repubblica, the biggest italian newspaper. "Pace" = peace, and the colors of rainbow are associated with peace (not with what they are associated in US). (more, I'm just too tired to translate)
  • Reply 14 of 55
    artman @_@artman @_@ Posts: 2,546member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pfflam

    GUESS WHAT!!!



    It had to happen: freedom of speech at the mercy of the moneyed few:



    "Sinclair bans Nightline war memorial



    In a prepared statement, Sinclair insists ABC's action, "appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq." And that: "We do not believe such political statements should be disguised as news content." The markets where "Nightline" will be banned are St. Louis, Columbus, Ohio, Asheville, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., Charleston, W.Va., Mobile, Ala., Springfield, Mass., and Tallahassee, Fla.




    Ah. Ohio. Bush needs that state. Don't know about the others...we know he's got Florida...



    All I got. TV sucks.



    /becauseidonthaveany...watch frontline this week...



  • Reply 15 of 55
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    What time is nightline on?
  • Reply 16 of 55
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pfflam

    What time is nightline on?



    usually after the late local news, which would mean 11:30 eastern 10:30 central.

    a few of stations bump it back a bit for sitcom rerun or something like that.
  • Reply 17 of 55
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pfflam

    Sinclair bans Nightline war memorial



    I was just reading an article about this. Apparently 4 of their top executives gave the maximum amount to the Bush '04: It's Not His Fault fund and none to Kerry.



    ABC's response about the political allegations was that they did the same thing with the WTC victims.



    This whole "liberal media" conspiracy theory is on the verge of going way too far.
  • Reply 18 of 55
    buckeyebuckeye Posts: 358member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant



    This whole "liberal media" conspiracy theory is on the verge of going way too far.




    There hasn't been a liberal media since large corporations began gobbling up media outlets and putting them all under one roof years ago. No we only get news that satisfys the agendas of the BIG TEN ( or are we down to just 8 now...)



    The idea of a liberal media is a total myth perpetuated by ignorance. The media (and the FCC) is without a doubt ruled by right wing politics and their corporate agenda
  • Reply 19 of 55
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    McCain speaks up:



    "McCain Calls 'Nightline' Pre-Emption 'Unpatriotic': Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has branded as "a gross disservice to the public" and "unpatriotic" Sinclair Broadcast Group's decision to pre-empt on its ABC stations tonight's "Nightline," in which the names of the U.S. men and women who have lost their lives in Iraq will be read.



    In a letter issued Friday to Sinclair President and CEO David Smith, Sen. McCain, who was a POW in Vietnam and who supported President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, said: "I find deeply offensive Sinclair's objection to 'Nightline's' intention to broadcast the names and photographs of Americans who gave their lives in service to our country in Iraq.



    "Every American has a responsibility to understand fully the terrible costs of war," Sen. McCain wrote. "It is a solemn responsibility of elected officials to accept responsibility for our decision and its consequences, and, with those who disseminate the news, to ensure that Americans are fully informed of those consequences.



    "There is no valid reason for Sinclair to shirk its responsibility in what I assume is a very misguided attempt to prevent your viewers from completely appreciating the extraordinary sacrifices made on their behalf by Americans serving in Iraq," he wrote. "War is an awful, but sometimes necessary business.



    Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war's terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail, is a gross disservice to the public, and to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves."



    Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-New York, portrayed the action by Sinclair, a 62-station group that reaches 24 percent of the country and is widely regarded as conservative off- and on-air, as a example of the ills of media consolidation. Sinclair owns seven ABC affiliates.



    "The decision by Sinclair Broadcast Group to keep this program off its stations is being made by a corporation with a political agenda without regard to the wants or needs of its viewers," said Rep. Hinchey. "This move may be providing a chilling look into the future if we allow media ownership to be consolidated into fewer and fewer hands."



    Attempts Friday morning to reach executives at Sinclair, which is substituting its own special for "Nightline's" tribute, were unsuccessful.



    In a statement issued Thursday, Sinclair characterized the 40-minute "Nightline" special as a political statement "disguised as news content."'
  • Reply 20 of 55
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pfflam

    ...It will pull everyone away from sit coms and sports etc . . .they'll flock to it . . .



    one problem with this line of thinking: Look at ABC's PT rateings and you would know no one watches ABC, thats why in the last few years, NFL not withstanding, they get spanked in nearly every slot, the reason they dont get slaudered with NBA/NFL is that those products sell themselves.



    and besides, not to belittle the troops, what they do is great and they are all great heros but NO ONE wants to hear that before they turn in for the night. that is why shows like Letterman, Leno, and back in the day, carson work so well at 11:30, people want a little bit of humor.



    Any rateings spike this show gets as compared to any other Nightline is nullified by the fact that the publicity has been so hot and heavy.



    as for SBG yanking Nightline, this is not a freedom of speech issue in any way shape or form, A private institution has made a private choice to pre-empt something that a number of their consumers may find offencive. Any person in america has the right to say whatever the hell they want, but we also have a right to not listen!!! the constitution defines the right to free speach (a k a TALK), not the right to be HEARED, if I own a station and someone says something I dont like, then I can say "Get off my air". It is all about private property rights.
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